Registering a Homemaker-Companion Agency (HCA) in Connecticut means filing one application with the Department of Consumer Protection (DCP), backed by a $10,000 surety bond, comprehensive background checks, and a $375 fee — there's no separate "license exam" or facility inspection before you can open. The process has six concrete steps, and skipping the order they need to happen in (bond and background checks before you notarize the application, not after) is the most common reason a first-time filing gets delayed. Here's the walkthrough, step by step, with the real costs at each stage.
The 6 Steps to Register a CT Homemaker-Companion Agency
These steps can mostly run in parallel — you don't have to wait for one to fully finish before starting the next, except for the final notarization and mailing, which need everything else already in hand.
| Step | What to Do | Cost | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Form your entity | File a Certificate of Organization (LLC) or Certificate of Incorporation, unless you're registering as a sole proprietor | $120 (LLC) | CT Secretary of the State |
| 2. Get your EIN | Apply online — takes minutes and is free | Free | IRS.gov |
| 3. Complete background checks | State and national criminal history check for every owner/officer; the same comprehensive check for every employee hired after Oct. 1, 2006 | Varies by vendor | CT State Police Bureau of Identification or an approved vendor |
| 4. Purchase your $10,000 surety bond | Required under CT Gen. Stat. §20-672 to protect clients against employee theft | ~$145/yr premium | Any licensed surety bond provider |
| 5. Complete and notarize Form 1018 | Business info, entity type, staffing, and four compliance affirmations (background checks, client contracts, bond, records access) | Notary fee, if any | Notary public, JP, or commissioner of the superior court |
| 6. Submit the application and fee | Mail the notarized application with a check or money order, or file online | $375 (non-refundable) | CT DCP, License Services Division, 450 Columbus Blvd, Ste. 801, Hartford, CT 06103, or ct.gov/dcp/apply |
What the Application Actually Asks For
Form 1018 isn't just a name-and-address form. It asks for your legal entity type, the number of employees you expect to have, details on your registry service if you use one, and a full list of every owner, officer, and member associated with the business — each of whom needs their own background check on file. It also asks you to affirm, in writing, that you'll meet four ongoing requirements: run background checks on every employee, use written client contracts, maintain the $10,000 bond continuously, and give DCP access to your records for inspection. Answer these honestly and completely — an incomplete affirmation section is one of the more common reasons an application gets sent back for correction rather than approved outright.
What Happens After You File
DCP doesn't publish a guaranteed review timeline, so treat any specific number of days you hear as an estimate, not a promise — plan for several weeks between submission and approval, and don't schedule your first client intake around a specific date until you have the registration in hand. If anything on the application is incomplete or a required document (bond confirmation, background check documentation) is missing, DCP will typically return it for correction rather than reject it outright, which adds time. Once approved, your registration covers all of your service locations under one number and expires annually on October 31, regardless of when you filed — mark that renewal date the day you get approved, not the week before it's due.
Pre-Submission Checklist
- Entity formed with the CT Secretary of the State (or sole proprietorship confirmed)
- EIN obtained from the IRS
- Background checks completed and documented for every owner, officer, and member
- $10,000 surety bond purchased and bond number ready to enter on the application
- Form 1018 fully completed, including all four compliance affirmations
- Application notarized
- Check or money order for $375 made out to "Treasurer, State of Connecticut"
- Copy of everything kept for your own records before mailing
Connecticut Resources for HCA Registration
- Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection — Homemaker-Companion Agency Registration (portal.ct.gov/DCP)
- Connecticut General Statutes §20-672 and §20-678 — bond and background check requirements
- Connecticut Secretary of the State — business entity filing (portal.ct.gov/SOTS)
Read more: See How Much Does It Cost to Start a Home Care Agency in Connecticut (Real Numbers) for the full budget behind these steps, and CT Home Care Agency Insurance Requirements for the coverage that goes beyond the bond.
Want a Second Set of Eyes Before You File?
Dee has walked her own agency through this exact process and reviews CT applications before they go to DCP as part of the CT Start-Up Package. Book a free Discovery Call if you'd rather have the checklist double-checked than risk a returned application.
INTERNAL PUBLISHING NOTES — NOT FOR PUBLICATION
- Facts verified live: CT DCP HCA registration page and instructions PDF (Form 1018); CT General Statutes §20-672 and §20-678; SuretyBonds.com CT HCA license guide.
- DCP does not publish a specific processing-time SLA on the sources reviewed — 'several weeks' is presented explicitly as an estimate, not a sourced figure. Flag for Dee to confirm against her own filing experience and replace with a real timeframe if she has one.
- Notary fee not specified — most CT notaries charge a small per-signature fee; left as a variable rather than a fabricated number.
- HowTo schema recommended for the 6-step table.
- No fabricated statistics or dollar figures used.
